Always and Forever
by SpellboundMist
Summary: After all, it was their special place, always and forever. AxM, very random. RR!
1. Part I

**Always and Forever**

**Part I**

* * *

"Aoshi-sama!" a delighted little voice called. The tall young man took a deep breath and smiled, quickening his pace to catch up with his bouncing young charge.

The morning air was crisp but not too cold---the perfect autumn's day. Aoshi had decided to take a break from his usual Okashira's duties, since there had been no missions and the paperwork wasn't too bad, and take Misao out for a walk. As the sun rose higher in the sky, they had left the Aoiya and headed for the outskirts of Kyoto. Now, Misao was waving to him from halfway across a wide field, her bubbling laughter carrying in the still morning.

"Aoshi-sama, look!" Misao grabbed his hand as he came near, drawing him over to a patch of wildflowers. "Aren't they pretty?"

"Yes, very pretty," Aoshi bent to pluck a light pink bloom with his long fingers. The color of the petals matched not only Misao's sash, but also the cute little blush that spread across her cheeks as he tucked it into her hair.

"Let's go, let's go," the girl tugged on his hand and began to skip through the grass again, Aoshi easily keeping up with walking strides.

The meadow ended in a forest, with paths that led into it but faded soon after. Many times before Aoshi had come here with Misao, sometimes with the other Oniwabanshuu but mostly it was just the two of them. Today, as always, Misao fell silent as they stepped into the dappled shade of the trees. All around them, birds chirped and squirrels chattered, and the cool breeze rustled through the leaves.

Aoshi led the way through the trees as the path dwindled and faded into the forest floor. He knew the way by heart, having found this place even before Misao had been born---before he became Okashira. As the sun reached its noontime zenith in the sky, Aoshi and Misao stepped past a thicket into a natural clearing in the woods about twelve paces wide. Ages ago, a tree had fallen from the edge of the clearing, its trunk cutting across one end. Misao immediately walked over to it and sat down carefully on the worn wood.

Aoshi joined her on the log, dropping the pack off his shoulder. Digging inside it, he produced the two lunchboxes one of the Oniwabanshuu kitchen staff had given him before they left. Misao opened hers eagerly, tucking into her midday meal without hesitation. Aoshi followed suite a little more slowly, savoring each bite.

A brown squirrel darting through the clearing in the early afternoon found them sitting on the log beside each other, a careful space between their bodies. Misao had her legs pulled up onto the uneven surface of the log, her body turned parallel to the length of the wood. Aoshi was sitting as he had been from the beginning, letting his eyes run casually over Misao small back facing him.

"Ne, Aoshi-sama," the young girl broke the silence as she turned to place her feet on the ground again.

"Hm?" Aoshi smiled fondly, watching the gentle breeze tug playfully at loose strands of hair that framed Misao's face. Her brilliant blue eyes took on an unexpectedly mature shade, the cerulean depths reflecting Aoshi's face back at him.

"This will always be our special place, won't it?" She inquired softly. Her voice and words belonged to a child, but a shadow behind them showed an adult. As the leaves overhead rustled in the wind, webs of shadows danced across her face like a tint of darkness to come.

"Yes," Aoshi replied, trying to decipher the inexplicable twinge in his heart when he met Misao's gaze. "Always and forever."

Misao's gaze broke away from his as she shifted to sit closer to him, letting him put one arm around her and hold her against him---a little tighter than necessary. The silence of the morning returned, but now it was heavy and pensive. When Misao's small form slid down across his legs, Aoshi was startled out of his thoughts. The little girl was asleep, blue eyes closed and a peaceful look on her features.

Aoshi touched the child's face and felt a sudden rush of fear for the future that was bearing down on both of them.

* * *

**. End Part I .**


	2. Part II

**Always and Forever**

**Part II**

"Where's Misao?" A flustered Omasu burst out of the kitchen waving a dish towel. "She's supposed to be doing the laundry today."

"She left a few minutes ago," Okon informed her, snatching the dishtowel out of her hand before she knocked over a nearby vase of flowers.

"Left for _where_?" Omasu demanded exasperatedly, "Honestly, that girl! She's almost seventeen years old now! She should know we need all the help we can get, what with Aoshi-sama still injured and the rest of us recovering."

"Calm down," Okon pulled Omasu back into the kitchen. "I don't know where she went. Come to think of it, she's been disappearing a lot lately. She never says where she's going."

"Has anybody seen what direction she's going in?"

"I'll ask Shiro. He's usually out in the garden," Okon started on the dishes Omasu had abandoned, frowning to herself. "But I don't know how much good that will do. She could just double back and go in the other direction if she didn't want us to know."

Omasu was already out the back door calling for Shiro. They conversed in the doorway where Okon could hear them.

"---yes, I'm absolutely sure that's the way she goes every day---ah, Aoshi-sama!" Shiro gave a small bow when the taller man entered the room. Aoshi returned with a slight nod, handing his emptied teacup to Okon.

"I know where Misao went," he stated quietly.

Surprise spread across the others' faces.

"You---you heard us?" Okon stammered. Omasu elbowed her in the ribs.

"I did," Aoshi replied matter-of-factly. "I will go to her."

"Sounds like a good idea," Shiro put in quickly. "The doctor said you should get some fresh air, as long as you don't over exert yourself."

With another nod in their general direction, Aoshi turned and left.

"Shiro!" Omasu smacked him across the back of the head.

"What??"

"We don't even know where she is!" Omasu hissed. "Aoshi-sama isn't the kind of person to give up and come back when his wounds start to hurt him. What if she's gone to the other side of the city, or---or further?"

"He said he knew where to find her," Shiro shrugged. "I'll get the laundry now." He made a hasty retreat.

"I wonder what will happen," Okon mused quietly. Omasu ground her teeth and stomped out of the room.

Aoshi made his way out the front door of the Aoiya, slipping into the early afternoon bustle on the streets. Under the comfortable robe he wore, bandages still wound around the ointment-smeared wound across his chest. Without him really wanting them to, images and feelings from the battle against the Battousai---no, against Himura Kenshin---floated across the edges of his mind. The lingering scent of blood had receded with his time at home, but he had not forgotten the monster that had been Shinomori Aoshi.

Instead of building a wall to keep them out, or dropping into his darker memories, Aoshi let them drift as they would. He looked over them almost casually, and searched his mind for something happier. His feet took him to the outskirts of the city before he realized it. As the road dwindled into a narrow path and disappeared into a rut in the meadow, Aoshi fell into a memory in the back of his mind from a day just like this one.

Letting the remembered peace and joy seep through him, he wondered idly if Misao really did come here. Since he'd left the Aoiya all those years ago, Misao had definitely changed. He was completely unsure of whether she still remembered this place or not. That last time they'd come together, he had walked slowly through the knee-high grass just as he was now, with Misao running ahead and laughing. Aoshi raised his head to cast a glance across the meadow in front of him, half-expecting to see---

There she was. Misao was walking quickly, and she had almost reached the trees. Aoshi frowned. The girl had been different since his return, not as boisterous and lively as he remembered. She seemed almost uncomfortable around him. And now, he knew she'd seen him coming.

"Misao!"

She didn't turn, or show any sign of having heard.

He knew what he had done was unforgivable, but he sometimes wished he could have that unconditionally loving six-year-old Misao back again.

As soon as Misao stepped into the beginning of the forest, she ran. Aoshi bolted after her in the most unexplainable panic and his initial burst of speed took him to the edge of the trees in less than a minute. Ninja skills he'd perfected as a young boy allowed him to follow Misao's trail. But it was no easy task---she was a ninja too.

"Misao---" he called hoarsely, feeling his wound give a warning throb. He paid it no heed, plunging into the forest after her and noticing that it was indeed somewhat familiar. He forced himself to stop when his chest clenched painfully from his sudden exertion. Pressing a hand against his wound, he walked on.

Finally he reached the familiar clearing. Misao was walking along the length of the log, her arms outstretched for balance. When his presence was announced by rustling leaves, she hopped off and turned to face him.

"Hey there," Her smile was bright as ever, but he recognized a hint of shadows behind it.

"There you are," he said, trying to keep the pain from showing in his voice. He could barely breathe.

"You found me," she grinned, taking a seat on the log. Aoshi joined her with nostalgia rushing through his mind. She turned to him with a trace of worry in her eyes. "Are you in pain? Did you run all the way here?"

"I'm not in very good shape now," he told her quietly, removing his hand from his chest in a deliberate motion. "Didn't you hear me call you?"

"The doctor told you not to exert yourself," Misao pointedly ignored his question. "The more you strain yourself, the longer it will take to heal."

"I know that," he said quietly. He sighed, and changed the subject. "Omasu was looking for you today. Lately you've been leaving the house frequently; do you come here much?"

"All the time," Misao replied seriously. She swung her legs up to sit facing away from him like she had done the last time. The space between them seemed infinite. "When you were gone I came here every day and sat in the same spot, pretending that you were with me---pretending that everything was going to stay the same."

"I'm sorry, Misao," Aoshi murmured, it being the only appropriate thing he could think of.

"No, don't apologize. You're back now, and that's all that matters," Misao assured him. "But things have changed; I'm sure you've noticed. Sometimes I wish we were kids again."

"I feel the same," Aoshi admitted.

They sat in silence for the remainder of the afternoon. There was so much that Aoshi wanted to tell her, so much that he wanted to share. But the comfort of the forest had turned into a murky awkwardness that would hold no words. Once again, Aoshi feared for the future, and for what would become of them both.

**. End Part II .**


	3. Part III

**Always and Forever**

**Part III**

* * *

"Misao…"

She didn't reply, her eyes fixed on his face with an undecipherable expression. They were no longer the innocent blue orbs he'd left behind. Beneath the shimmering cerulean surface lay the depth of eyes that had seen too much, just as her features had shed their childish softness and taken on a harder, stronger edge. Where was his Misao?

"I have to leave, Misao."

"I know."

He didn't know what else to say, what explanation he could offer her. He wanted to reach out to her and touch her face and see her smile. But in the time since he'd come back to the Aoiya, he had found her more distant---less eager for intimacy---than he remembered. He didn't want her angry with him, so he had kept his distance. Despite his strong will, Aoshi had found himself longing to be close to her almost every day. He didn't have the courage to tell her what he felt.

"Aoshi-sama! It's almost time for you to leave!" Omasu's voice called from inside the house.

Aoshi could not pull his gaze away from Misao. He wasn't a man of fancies, but he could have sworn Misao could keep him bound to the spot with just her eyes.

"You'd better go," Misao lowered her gaze at last. "You'll be late."

Without another word, she stepped forward and past him, out the door to the back porch. Aoshi's eyes were fixed on the spot she'd just vacated. Suddenly whipping around, he grabbed for her before she was out of reach. As his fingers closed around her slender wrist, he thanked the gods for giving him the perfectly honed instincts that had previously allowed him to become the youngest Okashira in Oniwabanshuu history. Fluidly, he took a step forward, bending down slightly as he pulled her almost roughly towards his chest.

All this happened in a few precious seconds, and Misao stumbled against him with a small gasp of surprise. Aoshi released her wrist to put both arms around her, pressing her against him tightly. She had grown without him really noticing, her head nestled perfectly against the base of his neck.

"I'll come back to you, Misao," he whispered fiercely into her ear. "I swear."

She relaxed slightly in his embrace, sliding her hands down to go around his waist hesitantly. Burying her face in his chest, she murmured, "I'll be waiting. You know I will."

"Misao, I---"

"I know." With those two words, she squeezed his waist and stepped away quickly, facing away from him. Was he imagining the tremor that ran through her?

"Aoshi-sama!"

He tore his gaze from her and managed to make it back into the house to meet Omasu halfway down the hall.

He wished he could have gotten a last look at her face.

* * *

Misao walked a circle around the edges of the clearing. Late afternoon sunlight lanced through the reddening leaves of fall to shine like silk in her hair. Humming under her breath, she turned her face upwards and watched the sun's molten gold grow richer, redder. Sunset came earlier in the forest because the sun disappeared faster behind tall trees. This had become Misao's favorite time of day.

A month had passed since Aoshi had left Kyoto to join Saitoh Hajime on his shady mission. They expected him back in another month. Misao had learned patience and serenity, two things she'd never quite mastered before. But even still, here in their special place secluded from the world, she missed Aoshi terribly.

She had thought that it would be easier this time, because he'd already left her once before. She never imagined that losing him a second time would be even more painful. She was older now, and a few years wiser. But the half-healed wound in her heart was throbbing again.

As the sun fell away from its visible point in the sky, the forest darkened visibly and the leaves overhead were silhouetted against the orange sky. Lost in thought, Misao ceased her pacing and went to sit down on the log. Like always, she sat on one end of the familiar wood, facing parallel to it and looking into the forest. She pulled her legs up and hugged her knees to her chest like she'd done so many times before. Closing her eyes, she let herself drift back and settle in the memory of her childhood.

A soft breeze blew across her cheeks, with just enough of autumn's edge to chill her nose and tug at her bangs. It had been like that all those years ago too. Misao imagined tilting her face up and letting afternoon sunlight glow through her eyelids. It must have been nice out that day---over ten years ago now. Aoshi's warmth had been just behind her; there was a space between them but she had been acutely aware of him.

Now, Misao opened her eyes to a rapidly darkening forest. Even the wind had stopped, and she was alone. Shivering a bit, she rubbed her hands up and down her arms to warm herself. Usually, she returned to the Aoiya before it got this dark, but today seemed different. She wished briefly that she'd thought to bring a coat or a shawl, but let it go.

As crickets began to chirrup their evening chorus and evening settled itself in comfortably, Misao yawned. The past few nights had been filled with nightmares, jolting her awake long before dawn and leaving her too shaken to go back to sleep.

So absorbed was she in her thoughts that she completely lost track of time, and also losing awareness of her surroundings. Without her realizing, night had dropped its velvety black cloak over the forest completely. Animals and other natural sounds of night surged around her as the moon began to rise behind the trees.

Misao remained sitting sideways on the log, staring sightlessly into the darkness. She was alone. Leaving her body there in the forest, her heart and mind sank almost eagerly into a sea of memories. She relived a ghost of her childhood times with Aoshi and the other Oniwabanshuu; the smiles, the laughter, the sunny days, and even the rainy days and the tears. She watched a misty replay of the years she spent _waiting_ at home, hoping---praying that Aoshi would come back to her. She stepped in her own long-disappeared footsteps on her search for Aoshi across Japan. She felt the echo of her pain and desperation, the glowing remnants of the fiery determination.

He'd come back to her, tried to make amends---but now he was gone again. Pulled away in some distant turmoil by a corrupt, former-Shinsengumi policeman, caught up again in a shadow of the bloody honor and pride he'd had before. Misao couldn't stop him this time either. She knew she had no claims over him, and that she likely never would. A man like Aoshi was as likely to show love---or any strong emotion other than hate---as your average rock.

Misao suddenly felt tired. Alone in the dark with a chilly breeze caressing her exposed arms, she let her memories and sickly sweet doubts fill her being. With a soft sigh, her eyelids closed.

She dozed lightly, a scrap of consciousness keeping her upright on the log. Suddenly, a sense of another presence jerked her out of her stupor. He eyes flew open as she swung her legs back down to put her feet on the ground. A fraction of a second later, the wind was knocked out of her as strong arms crushed her and pulled her backwards against a firmly muscled chest.

Her mind still fuzzy, Misao struggled weakly on the ground. "Let me go!" her voice was hoarse. Tears ran down her cheeks as she envisioned various deaths awaiting her. She would never see Aoshi again. Her body wouldn't move as she commanded---fatigue had drained her of her strength. "Let me GO!"

Then out of the darkness came the voice of an angel.

"No, Misao. I'm _never_ letting you go again."

The girl froze. She felt her captor's breath by her ear, warmth from his body surrounding her chilled limbs. Suddenly, it felt more like a desperate embrace than a crushing danger.

_He was here._

"Aoshi-sama!" she cried in joy, her body relaxing against him without hesitation. Her mind slowly returned to full consciousness, and she realized where she was. She wriggled in his arms and he reluctantly loosened his hold. Standing up, he drew her up with him gently and she ended up facing him, still cradled against his chest.

"How come you're back so early?" She blurted. "Why are you here?"

"I told him that the Oniwabanshuu is no longer a tool to be used in other men's battles," Aoshi told her quietly. "Okina-san has been waiting for this to happen. The Onmitsu Oniwabanshuu are no more."

"You-----really?"

"Now is not the time for words."

"Aoshi s---" Aoshi held her away from him slightly so he could press his lips to hers and seal away the suffix.

Time stopped for them both. Misao stood rigidly in shock until the warmth from Aoshi's lips and hands became fire, eliciting response from her weary body. The nightmares disappeared from the corners of her mind when her chained love burst free with a brilliant light.

When they finally pulled apart, Misao was flushed and both of them breathless. For a long time, they stared deeply into each other's eyes as raw emotion became tangible and surrounded them in the darkness.

"You came back," Misao finally said.

"Thank you for waiting, Misao," Aoshi replied seriously.

Her smile lit up the darkness and she lifted her face for his next kiss. That night, the universe sang with them and the stars shone through their eyes. Love swirled around their bodies and melted away the cold of night as two hearts became one at last. Besides everything that the future had brought them, it had brought them together here in this place.

After all, it _was_ their special place, always and forever.

* * *

**. End Part III .**

* * *

Notes: This was more of an experiment than anything else, based off a random idea I had a few years ago with some of my not-so-eaily-remembered memories thrown in. I literally wrote it on napkins that I took from a fast food restaurant. I don't really like the way it turned out but I didn't have the heart to discard it. Please leave a review whether you liked it or not! Thank you to Naolin once again for editing and stuff. Five days is fast:)

_This is dedicated to the one who was dearest to my heart but whom I lost to time and never hope to find again_. yes, I'm dramatic.

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin storyline and characters belong to Watsuki-san. Standard disclaimers apply


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